


Shinichi Lupin

by allietheepic7



Series: Arsène "Shinichi" Lupin the Fourth [1]
Category: Lupin III, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Child Abandonment, Domestic Fluff, Dysfunctional Family, Family, Fujiko Is A Good Auntie, Gen, Jigen PoV, Kidnapping, Kinda, Lupin Has A Good Heart, Papa Jigen, Shinichi Is Adorable, Smol Shinichi, Stealing, Stealing a Child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7114618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allietheepic7/pseuds/allietheepic7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidnapped, hurt, and missing all of his memories, young Shinichi only knew two things: his name and that this stranger did not mean him any harm.</p><p>(I adored Shinichi and Jigen's relationship in the crossover movies, so it's about time someone (me) wrote a crossover where Shinichi is adopted into the Lupin gang. Please forgive my no-doubt-horrible interpritation on Japanese missing person's laws; I couldn't find much information on them.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jigen

            Jigen fished out a cigarette from a new pack and lit it, only for it to be extinguished by the falling snow. He sucked his teeth and threw the death stick into the alley wall before shoving his hands into his pockets.

            Honestly, Lupin had gone too far this time. Not only had they risked their lives for _that woman_ again, but she had stolen the day’s profit right from under their noses. Now they were penniless and trapped in Japan.

            He stopped walking. Something was shuffling about around the corner. Some scraping noises, a thud, and a whimper. Peeking around the corner, Jigen saw…a boy. He almost sighed in relief until he saw the blood dripping from the kid’s forehead.

            He looked 5, maybe a very small 6. His little suit (who the hell dressed their kid in a suit!?) looked high quality, but it was hard to tell with all the grime on it. He was curled up next to a dumpster and, from what Jigen could tell, had hit the injured part of his head.

            When Jigen stepped into view, the boy flinched violently, banging his head again. “Hey, stop that!” Jigen scolded, striding forward to grab the kid by the chin. He tried to pull out of his grip as Jigen inspected the boy’s injury. “You’re going to hurt yourself more!”

            “Let go!” he shouted in English, pounding his fists against Jigen’s arm. The hits were weak and his body was shivering constantly.

            “I’m trying to see if you have a concussion, you little shit!” Jigen said without thinking. Fortunately, the insult didn’t freak the kid out or anything. He just pouted, crossing his arms but stayed still enough so Jigen could check his head injury.

            As he pressed his fingers to the skin around the cut, the boy winced. “Yeah, that looks like a concussion…” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. Geeze, what a day. “Alright, come on. There’s a hospital a few miles from here, I’ll carry you—”

            “No!” The kid renewed his struggling. “I won’t go! The bad men will find me!”

            “Whoa, whoa! Easy, kid!” Jigen exclaimed, trying to keep hold of the brat. “What “bad men”?”

            The boy sniffed, tears in his eyes. “W-When I woke up, I was in a car and my head hurt real bad… There were these men in the front and they were really scary… They said something about an experiment and one said they could _sell_ me…” Disgust rolled around in Jigen’s stomach. Human traffickers…scum of the earth. “They didn’t know I was awake yet, so when the car stopped at a stop light, I opened the door and ran until I couldn’t hear them yelling anymore.” A few tears ran down the kid’s face, but he rubbed them away. He stared up at him through his long lashes. “Um, mister…who are you?”

            “Name’s Jigen, kid,” Jigen said, rubbing his forehead. This was bad. If the police found him with a concussed, kidnapped, possibly foreign child… The best course of action was to find the kid’s parents and give him back. Hopefully the kid remembered where his hotel was… “What’s yours?”

            “I, um…Shinichi…I think…” he looked down at his feet. “I don’t really remember.”

            Jigen almost groaned. Kidnapped, a concussion, and now amnesia!? Christ, this kid couldn’t be more unlucky if he broke a mirror under a ladder on Friday the 13th! He sighed. Well, there was no helping it. This kid was going to fight all the way to the hospital and no police officer would believe a criminal and a boy with a concussion. He’ll have to treat him back at the hideout and look for a missing person’s report in the morning.

            He scooped the kid up into his arms, making the boy yelp in surprise. “Come on, brat. We’ll fix you up at my place and then we’ll look for your parents.” Shinichi seemed to think about it, then nodded. Jigen carried him through the snow, back to the hideout, while thinking about what the _hell_ he was going to tell to Lupin.

            At 3:21 pm, Yukiko Kudo realized that her son was no longer trailing after her through the store.

            At 5:14 pm, the Lupin gang received a new member.


	2. Shinichi

            Shinichi had almost fallen asleep three times on the walk back to the hideout.

            Jigen felt bad about keeping the obviously exhausted boy awake even longer, but he had to. The boy could slip into a coma and never wake up and then what would he do? No, Shinichi had to stay awake, at least until he cleaned the wound up and could properly assess it.

            The boy yawned and shifted in Jigen’s arms, trying to get closer and away from the cold. At least the weather was good for something; no one was outside, otherwise someone would definitely call the police about the strange man carrying a bloody child.

            It took twenty more minutes, but eventually the pair arrived at the Tokyo hideout. It wasn’t much, just an old, rundown warehouse with new shudders. “We’re here.”

            Shinichi wrinkled his nose at the sight of it. “It looks like a place where murderers hide,” he said disdainfully.

            Jigen hid any reactions he had from the rather blunt child. The kid had hit the nail on the head, even though there was rarely any killing since he’d joined Lupin. Or at least, less killing than there used to be. “It looks better on the inside,” he told the boy.

            And it did. Lupin was many things, but unstylish he was not. Lupin wasn’t one to live without comfort when it was unnecessary and his hideouts reflected that...most of the time. Jigen could recall a few rundown apartments where they'd hid in order to get Zenigata off their tails. There was a fully stocked and working kitchen, clean bathrooms, and cable. It wasn’t their best hideout—the bed were hard and the air conditioning didn’t work half the time—but it was good enough. Jigen walked over the red couch and set the kid down on it. “Stay here,” he ordered. “I’m going to get the first aid kit.”

            He couldn’t spot any sign that Lupin had been back in a while; there were no signs of Goemon or _that woman_ either, which was good. He didn’t want to overwhelm the kid and meeting both Lupin and _her_ at the same time would do the trick.

            Returning to the couch, Jigen knelt next to the boy, dampened a cloth with rubbing alcohol, and began to dab at the cut on the boy’s head. Shinichi winced in pain, but allowed him the clean the wound without much hassle. “You’re pretty strong, for a brat,” Jigen told the kid to help distract him from the pain. “I’ve met many men who’d cry over the littlest scratch, yet here you are, getting a wound cleaned without the slightest peep.”

            “’m not a brat,” Shinichi slurred, his eyes heavy with sleep. Sighing, Jigen snapped his fingers in the kid’s ears.

            “Hey, wake up. You can’t fall asleep yet, brat.” Cut clean, Jigen finally got a good look at the concussion. “Looks like you’ve got a hard head, kid. You’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

             “Then we’ll find my mom and dad, right?”

             “That’s right—”

              A door banged open and a loud voice cut him off. “Hey, Jigen! I’m back—” Lupin stumbled into the room, growing quiet when he spotted Shinichi looking at him. Jigen bit back a groan.

            “Jigen…” Lupin spoke carefully, like he wasn’t sure if Jigen would snap. “I know I said we should spice things up for a change, but…kidnapping’s a bit far, don’t you think?”

            “W-What!? I didn’t kidnap him!”


	3. Lupin

            Shinichi tugged on Jigen’s hand, looking up at him blearily. “Mr. Jigen, who’s that?”

            Jigen struggled to find an answer that didn’t reveal any of their more criminal secrets, but Lupin answered for him. “We’re coworkers, little boy.” Shinichi glared at Lupin for the “little boy” comment. Jigen suppressed a snicker; Lupin did always have a way with children. At least this one wasn’t calling him a pedophile yet.

            Shinichi yawned as Jigen finished up with his head. “Sorry, kid. You can’t go to sleep yet. I’ll turn on the TV for you, though.” The kid nodded his approval so Jigen turned the TV to some anime about…a host club? Eh. It had English subtitles and everyone knew how sensitive _they_ were, so it had to be okay.

            With the boy properly occupied, Lupin dragged Jigen into the kitchen. “What’s with the kid?” Lupin asked, staring at Shinichi suspiciously.

            Jigen groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Oi, don’t give him that look! He’s six, if even that!”

            “You’re the one who brought a bleeding child into the hideout! What am I supposed to do!?” Sighing, Lupin leaned against a counter and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag. “So, who is he? New job? Secret love child?”

            “Don’t be perverse; not everyone sleeps with half the females in each city they go to,” Jigen taunted, then sighed. “Apparently the kid was kidnapped by human traffickers or some shit. Got amnesia and a concussion before managing to escape. He only remembers a name: Shinichi.”

            Lupin’s gaze on the child turned thoughtful. “Japanese?”

            “At least partially.”

            “His English has a distinct accent,” he acknowledged. “Why didn’t you leave him at the police station? Or better yet, a hospital?”

            “He wouldn’t hear of it. Thinks his kidnappers will find him before his family will.”

            “Damn.” Shinichi had changed the channel to some detective show, bored with the anime. “Do you want me to watch him while you look for a missing person’s report?” Lupin offered.

            “Thanks.”

            For the next hour, Lupin did his best to keep Shinichi awake while Jigen looked for any sign of him online. He found nothing. In fact, he couldn’t find any reports of any missing Japanese, child or adult. Jigen clenched his teeth. It was only after he hacked the local police that he found any MPRs, but none of them were for the missing person on his couch, just missing locals. Maybe it was just too soon... Doesn't someone have to be missing over 24 hours or some shit to be reported missing? You'd think they'd make an exception when it was a six-year-old though...

            Shit, had Tokyo’s missing person’s division always been this crappy!? He hadn’t been in Japan for a while, but surely it wasn’t always this bad!

            Two small hands wrapped around his elbow and Jigen looked down to see Shinichi staring right back up at him. “Are you looking for my mom and dad?” he asked.

            Jigen huffed. “Yeah. I haven’t found anything yet, but I’ll keep looking. They probably just haven’t reported you missing yet.”

            “But why wouldn’t they?” Shinichi asked, his voice wobbling. Against his instincts that were screaming at him not to get involved, Jigen picked the boy up into his lap. “Why wouldn’t they call the police the moment I went away? What if—” Tears dripped down Shinichi’s face as small sobs shook his body. “What if they gave m-me away, and that’s why those men had me? I-I…I don’t…”

            Shinichi completely broke down, sobbing into Jigen’s jacket. The gunman held the boy through his tears, rhythmically rubbing his back as he let out all of his pent up frustration.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So a bit about the Japanese missing person’s: I’m not trying to be negative or hateful or anything, I’m just relaying what I’ve found. And it’s not a lot.
> 
> Obviously I can’t see if there is an actual missing person’s site (as I cannot read Japanese), but originally I was hoping for at least something that explains their procedures and, best case scenario, an English translation. What I found was…disturbing. According to a website I found (one of the few that could tell me anything), nobody really knows how many missing children there are in Japan. I’ll leave the link in the description, but it basically states that unless there is data concerning the living situation of the child, the government can disregard them and not pay attention to their whereabouts. On another website, I found a bit about procedure: the person who is reporting that another is missing has to do it in the missing person’s home area. If a student went missing in Tokyo, but was originally from the other side of the country, the student would have to be reported there instead of where they went missing.
> 
> The reason I’m explaining this is that I’ve already gotten questions on why Shinichi will stay with the Lupin gang and this is part of it. I tried to describe all of this in the story, but I’m not sure how clear it was and I hope this blurb makes it better. If I’ve messed anything up, please feel free to tell me (preferably with sources) and I’ll try to work something out.
> 
> Source: http: //www .japantoday. com/ category /kuchikomi /view/ nobody-really-knows-how-many-children-are-missing


	4. Papa

            Shinichi’s sobs slowly subsided into small hiccups as Jigen rubbed soothing circles on his back. “You feeling better, kid?”

            He felt the nod against his shoulder. “’m hungry…”

            Glaring at Lupin, Jigen gestured to the kitchen with his free hand. Lupin mouthed ‘no’ back at him and hid behind the couch. He rolled his eyes. “Lupin, just make the damn food!” he suddenly growled, startling Shinichi.

            “Fine, fine!” Lupin said, throwing up his hands. He began rummaging around in the cabinets. “Ramen…more ramen…all we have is ramen. Why is there nothing but ramen!?”

            “Blame Goemon. He’s the one who did the shopping last.” Jigen told him as he settled Shinichi into the seat next to him. “Does ramen sound good to you, kid?”

            Shinichi nodded, his eyes glued to his lap. “Yes, please.”

            In a move that surprised even him, Jigen reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. He could feel his lips twitch up into a smile. “Come on; let’s go help Lupin. I doubt he even knows how to boil water.”

            Lupin’s offended “Hey!” was well worth the tiny giggle he got in return.

            Days passed. Every day Jigen looked for any trace of Shinichi, going as far as to ask around the neighborhood they were staying in, while Lupin watched the kid. Shinichi always tried to make the Lupin’s job harder, revenge, he later told Jigen, for all the “short” comments. But, as each day passed, there was still no sign that Shinichi’s parents were even looking for him. And all the while, Shinichi was getting closer and closer to the two thieves he lived with.

            Jigen clutched his head in frustration, glaring at the computer screen as if that would make it tell him something different. But every time he touched it, the answer was always the same. No report, no pictures, not even a story on the late night news. No one was looking for Shinichi.

            A coffee mug was placed next to his elbow and Jigen looked up to see Lupin. The man gazed down on him sympathetically. “Still can’t find anything?”

            “No.” Jigen gulped down the coffee greedily. “I even hacked the fucking NPA but…nothing.”

            “You know we can’t exactly keep him, right?”

            “Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s just…” He glanced over at Shinichi, asleep on the couch. “We are the only people he knows. I can only imagine all the trust issues he’s going to have if we just dump him on an orphanage doorstep or something.”

            Lupin laughed. “Yeah, that kid has a bad enough glare already. The last thing he needs is a traumatizing backstory to go with it.”

            “You’ve seen him watch detective shows, right?” Jigen chuckled. “I don’t think the glares he gives you even compare to those he gives a murderer.”

            Their laughter slowly puttered out until Lupin said, “…We’re getting attached to him, aren’t we?”

            “Look like it.”

            “Damn.” They exchanged a tired look, then looked at Shinichi before Lupin said, “We can’t keep him with us. We’re _thieves_ , for Christ’s sake. And he’s a good kid. He doesn’t deserve a life on the run.”   

            “Don’t you think we should ask him first? He’s smart, smarter than any other kid I’ve seen. He deserves the right to choose himself. And who knows? He’d probably be okay with our occupation if we told him the truth.”

            Lupin snorted. “Probably? That kid looks at you like you hung the moon. I doubt any objections would cross his mind.”

            “That’s true.” Jigen couldn’t deny it. The boy hung off every word he said. It would be weird if Shinichi wasn’t young enough to get away with it.

            “And can you imagine the look on Pop’s face when he discovers a child has joined us?”

            Jigen chuckled. “He’d probably think the boy’s your love child with Fujiko and have a heart attack on the spot.”

            A yawn cut off their discussion as Shinichi sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked blearily over towards them and Jigen felt an odd pang in his chest. Shinichi waved absent-mindedly at them. “Hi.”

            “Hey, short stuff,” Lupin said, throwing himself onto the couch next to Shinichi. The boy glared. “We were just talking about you.”

            Alarm crossed Shinichi’s face. “Y-You were?”

            “Yeah,” Jigen said with a nod. He stood up only to sit on the arm of the sofa on the other side of Shinichi than Lupin. “We were talking about what we were going to do with you.”

            “A-Are you going to send me away?” he asked, glancing back and forth in between the two with a distraught expression on his face. Jigen felt that odd pang again, stronger this time.

            “Not if you don’t want to go.” Shinichi blinked in surprise. “I’m going to be honest with you, kid. Lupin and I…we don’t exactly have the most conventional life style. We’re…we’re thieves. As of right now, we’re wanted in over 50 countries, including this one. Our lives are dangerous and most of what we do is illegal. But…if you want to stay, you can.”

            Shinichi bit lip, a hand reaching up to cup his chin as his eyebrows furrow in thought. “You…you don’t kill people, do you?”

            “Only out of self-defense,” Jigen answered truthfully. “And even then, it’s never the cops or innocent people. Usually they are members of the mafia and such.”

            He nodded absently, then looked up with hope in his eyes. “Can…Can I…Can I call you Papa?”

            Jigen blinked in shock. P-Papa!? The kid wanted him to be his father!? Lupin guffawed with laughter, clapping a hand over his eyes. He could tell it was making Shinichi feel embarrassed, so he glared at the other thief and turned the kid’s attention back on him. Did…did he want a son? Taking care of the kid was one thing, taking care of him as a _son_ was another. But…could he really say no to those eyes? Placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Jigen smiled down on him and said the words that would change his fate forever.

            “I’d love for you to call me Papa.”


	5. Fujiko

            The morning after Jigen made the miraculous transformation into a father, he woke with the irksome feeling that _that woman_ had returned. It was the smell in the air; different from Lupin’s cologne, or Goemon’s signature scent of sword polish and pickled plums. The smell was floral, a chemical fakeness that burned his nose.

            Jigen scowled as he shrugged on his clothes. Shit, couldn’t she just leave them alone? She already cheated them out of one profit, was she really so bored to try it again so soon!?      

            Storming out of his room, he paused at the top of the stairs when he heard her speak. “Oh, you are simply the cutest! You can’t be Lupin’s child!”

            “Uh…Thank you, miss…”

            “And so polite too~!”

            No. A horrified grimace passed over Jigen’s face before he pulled himself together with a shudder. No way in hell would he leave _her_ alone with Shinichi. He was still recovering from his trauma; she would just make it worse! Bolting down the stairs, Jigen skidded to a stop when he saw her holding Shinichi captive in her lap, ignoring how obviously uncomfortable he looked. He growled out, “Let him go, Fujiko.”

            Fujiko pouted and Shinichi brightened when he saw him, wiggling out of Fujiko’s grip and dashing to hug Jigen’s legs. “Papa!” he shouted gleefully, smiling up at him. The corners of Jigen’s mouth twitched up as he reached down and lifted the kid into his arms.

            “Hey, kiddo. Did you sleep well?”

            Shinichi nodded. “Yes! And I beat you waking up today!”

            “You sure did,” Jigen agreed, all the while eyeing Fujiko suspiciously from under his hat. She was just watching them…and it was creeping him out. “What are you doing here, Fujiko? I thought you’d already be out of the country by now.” It was best to at least pretend to be civil around her. Lupin would have his hide if he showed her any “disrespect.”

            Damn woman.

            She fluttered her eyes, like he would fall for her innocent act. “Well, after we parted ways last time, I became aware of an…interesting object. It’s rather eye catching. And I was hoping—”

            “That we’d help you steal it.” Jigen scoffed; the nerve of this woman! “After the bullshit you just pulled, you think you can waltz back in here like everything’s fine and we’d do you a favor!? Maybe when hell thaws over.”

            “Look Jigen, I’m sorry about last time, okay!?” She pouted. “But I’m on to something this time! This jewel is worth so much that we can split the profit 3 ways—” Fujiko suddenly stopped talking, eyeing Shinichi who had been watching the conversation with rapt attention.

            “He knows were thieves, Fujiko. If he didn’t, do you think I’d let him stay in the room while we talk business?”

            She crossed her arms and huffed, annoyed. “Well, how was I supposed to know!? It’s not every day when you learn that a coworker has a never-before-seen kid!”

            “If you say so,” Jigen said, rolling his eyes. “Come on, kid, let’s get you some breakfast.”

            It didn’t take long to fix up some food, though that was probably because they only had cereal. In the short time it took to finish their meal (their first meal as father and son, a thought that sent a nervous thrill through Jigen), they heard Lupin scream before the man bolted out of his room with a laughing Fujiko behind him. Shinichi flinched at the sound and Jigen glared at Lupin for frightening his son ( _his_ son!). Lupin glared right back and asked, “Why didn’t you wake me when Fujicakes got here!? She was left all alone with no one but the brat to entertain her!”

            In response, Jigen flicked a piece of cereal at him. “Stop acting like it’s my job to look after your woman.”

            Fujiko narrowed her eyes at him and he could see her hand twitch towards where her Browning M1910 was undoubtedly hidden. Shinichi then asked, “Um…excuse me, Miss? Who are you?”

            Her face immediately brightened, though Jigen couldn’t tell if it was because she genuinely liked Shinichi or because he called her ‘Miss.’ “Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?” Jigen wanted to scoff and mutter ‘apparently,’ but held his tongue to prevent an argument. “I’m Fujiko Mine, but you can call me Auntie, sweetheart!”

            “I’d prefer if people didn’t make the assumption that we’re related, Mine,” Jigen complained, but his words fell on deaf ears as Fujiko started fussing over Shinichi. Lupin snickered at his predicament.

            “—You’re way too small for your age! What have they been feeding you?” Funny, Jigen wasn’t aware that anyone _knew_ Shinichi’s exact age. “And what are you wearing? Lupin, I can’t believe you let him go outside wearing those!” Shinichi looked down at his clothes, a well-worn t-shirt and shorts Jigen had fished out of a donations bin in order to replace Shinichi’s old and ripped mini-suit. Jobs have been slow to come by as of late and they hadn’t been able to afford new clothes as their remaining money was currently aimed at putting food on the table and keeping the lights on.

            “Fujicakes, he hasn’t been outside of the hideout since he got here, and we can’t really afford much right now—”

            “No excuses!” she huffed, turning up her nose at Lupin. “I refuse to let my nephew be dressed in rags when he’s not even undercover! We’re going shopping; I’ll pay.”

            “With the money you stole from us,” Jigen grumbled, but allowed Fujiko to take Shinichi out. They were getting free clothes out of the deal and it’s not like she couldn’t take care of anything that came their way. Despite how often she was captured, Fujiko had saved their asses multiple times.

            While the two were out, Lupin and Jigen poured over the file Fujiko left for them. The job was to steal a diamond called the Golden Jubilee that was on loan to Teitan Museum of Art. Another thief, International Thief 1412 had already sent out a notice that he was going to steal it, however their unnamed client wanted them to snatch it first. The pay was incredible; even split 3 ways, it would still be enough for new fake passports, transportation, and enough to live comfortably in a country of their choice for the rest of their lives. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise Jigen that that much money would be able to bribe an international pardon from the leaders of INTERPOL.

            “Christ, what the hell do these people do for a living?” Lupin said as he flipped through the museum’s blueprints. “This place isn’t even well guarded. Why are they throwing away so much money when this won’t even cause us to break a sweat?”

            “Well, it is the biggest diamond in the world,” Jigen replied. “Maybe they’re just trying to make sure we don’t try to sell it to someone else. Or they could be planning to double cross us.”

            Lupin nodded. “With our luck, it’s probably the second. I’ll plan something out just in case.”

            The front door opened and both Fujiko and Shinichi’s voices drifted into the room. Shinichi ran inside and instantly clung to Jigen’s leg, pressing his face into the fabric of his pants, while Fujiko followed soon after, holding his multiple bags from what looked like designer stores. “How was your shopping trip?” Jigen asked. Shinichi mumbled something into his leg that he couldn’t hear. “What did you say?”

            “There was a man following us.”

            Alarm shot through him. He turned to Fujiko, who was looking uncharacteristically serious. “Did you see him?”

            She nodded. “Yeah. He was approximately your age, height, and weight. There was a hat covering most of his face, but I could see that he had dark hair and a mustache. We lost him in the alleys, so he doesn’t know where we went, but…”

            Looking down at his son, Jigen ran a hand through the boy’s hair. “Are you alright? Did he try to grab you?”

            Shinichi shook his head, blinking back tears. “N-No…I’m just a little scared…” Jigen could understand; Shinichi was probably still terrified of the men who tried to kidnap him. “I…I’m not sure why, but…he was kind of familiar.”

            “Familiar?”

            “Yeah…he walked familiar. Nothing else but that though.”


	6. Goemon

            “Come on, kid, just call me “Daddy!””

            “No.”

            The…argument between Lupin and Shinichi had been going on for the past 20 minutes, long enough that Jigen had grown tired of it. He and Goemon watched emotionlessly from the kitchen. For some reason, Lupin had gotten it into his head that his name should be on the father line of the fake birth certificate they were creating. And while Shinichi frequently shutting Lupin down was hilarious, they had more important things to talk about. Like their upcoming heist.

            “As…amusing as this is,” Goemon said, turning to face Jigen. “We need to discuss what will happen to Shinichi-kun while we’re working. I doubt you’d be comfortable him being alone in the hideout.”

            Jigen scoffed. “Hell no.” Just the thought of it made him grimace. He didn’t want Shinichi to be left unprotected. If that stalker showed up again… “And he can’t just stay in the car. It’s practically the same thing, and what if one of Zenigata’s men found him?”

            “Oh, come on, brat! Just once.”

            “Not on your life.”

            Goemon pressed a knuckle against his mouth, deep in thought. “One of us could just stay behind to babysit him. However, after going over the security and layout of this museum, I have found that with just three of us, it would be near impossible to achieve our goal.”

            “Damn…” Jigen scratched his beard. Why the hell was this father bullshit so hard? Was it this hard for everyone?

            “What about a tracking device?” During their conversation, Shinichi had apparently gotten bored with continually denying Lupin and wandered over. Jigen raised an eyebrow. “I can be left alone here; I’m pretty responsible. But if you’re that worried about that guy finding me, then you can just place a tracking device on me.”

“It would have to be something small, but not out of place,” Jigen mused, assessing the idea. “Something you’d expect to find on a young boy, perhaps a hoodie…?” He shook his head; he’d figure out the details later. “Are you sure you’d be ok, here by yourself? I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want to do.”

            “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I didn’t think I’d be okay, Papa.”

            Jigen smiled. “Thought that was the case, kiddo, but I had to make sure.” Shinichi grinned at the term of endearment. “So, the night of the heist, you’ll be staying here. We should be out for only a few hours—”

            “What!? No!!” Lupin, who had only just begun to listen to their conversation, jumped in and snatched Shinichi up, holding the boy close. Shinichi squirmed. “He has to be by my side at the heist! Especially when Zenigata spots me!”

            “Why?” Goemon finally asked. “He’s a child, what could he possibly be able to do? What if they shoot to kill and don’t see him? You shouldn’t put a child in danger this way, Lupin.”

            “But if Pop’s sees Shinichi and with the right insinuations, he’d totally think that Shin-chan was my kid!” Lupin gloated. “Can’t you just imagine the look on his face!? It would be priceless!”

            “Put me down!!”

            “I am never trusting Shinichi to be alone with you, Lupin. Ever.”


	7. Stalker-san

            Jigen had a bad feeling.

            They were driving back from the successful heist, the car silent. The jewel was snug in Lupin’s pocket, they’d gotten away free, and no one was dead, so there shouldn’t be any reason for the bad feeling. A bad feeling focusing on Shinichi.

            He shook his head. No, Shinichi was probably fine. Goemon had gone home ahead of them just to check. He was probably feeling noxious from Lupin making goo-goo eyes at Fujiko in the rearview mirror. Disgusting.

            He wanted to check Shinichi’s tracking device, but refrained. He’d checked right before the heist started and Shinichi had still been in the hideout. Besides, Shinichi didn’t need a parent hovering around; the brat was scarily independent, knowing how to take care of himself instinctively. If Jigen ever met the people who caused a 6-year-old to depend on only himself, they’d have a few more holes in them when he was done.

            Eventually, they pulled up to the hideout to find Goemon waiting outside. The dread in Jigen’s stomach suddenly tripled. Almost bolting from the car, Jigen approached his friend and colleague. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

            “I couldn’t find Shinichi.”

            Jigen froze, crippling horror racing through him. “Did you search the entire house?” Lupin asked, taking action. “There are several places where a child as small as he could hide.”

            “I already checked,” Goemon replied. “And all the doors and windows were locked from the inside.”

            Fujiko crossed her arms, an unusually serious expression on her face. “So he didn’t leave on his own… Do you think it was the man who followed us the other day? If he figured out who I was…”

            “It doesn’t matter who took him,” Jigen snapped. He turned on a small, rectangular device and a green map lit up the screen along with a blinking, blue dot. “We know where he is. So let’s go get him back.”


	8. Daddy

            Shinichi’s head felt funny and his mouth tasted weird.

            He kept his eyes closed as he tried to figure out what happened. He was at home, waiting for Papa and the other’s to come back, when… a man attacked him. His eyes shot open. He was in a car, he realized, a moving one. He was tied in two places, once at his wrists and again around his chest and upper arms. Shinichi began panting through his nose. They’d found him. The bad people had found him, were taking him away from his family again—!

            At the sound of Shinichi’s sobbing, the kidnapper looked at him through the rearview mirror. His blue eyes widened. “It’s okay, little boy,” he said in an attempt to sooth him. The car turned into an alley and parked while the man turned around in his chair to look at him. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

            Shinichi sniffled and sat up, his feet hidden under the front seat. He quietly took off his shoes. “Please let me go, Kidnapper-san,” he begged. He had to stall long enough for Papa to find him, so he put his involuntary tears to use. “I just want to go home… Please, I swear I won’t tell anyone what you look like. Just please let me go back. I want my family.”

            The man frowned. “Those people… they aren’t your family, kid.”

            “ _Yes they are!_ ” Shinichi shouted, impulsively kicking the back of the driver’s seat. “They found me, and cared for me, and played with me, and loved me!” The words just flowed out of his mouth, liked they’d always needed to be said. “T-They’re my family and I want them back!”

            His small body shook with the force of his sobs. Distantly, he felt a hand touch him and reacted instantly. Shinichi bit it as hard as he could.

            The kidnapper cried out and pulled his bloody limb away. That’s when he acted. Using his toes, Shinichi pulled up the lock on the car door and pulled the handle, opening it. He ran out barefoot into the alley, screaming, “Papa! Papa, I’m here!” Kidnapper-san was close behind him, picking him up and trying to hold a hand over his mouth. “Papa! Daddy! Daddy—!”

            A single shot rang out through the air. Kidnapper-san dropped him and held a hand against his shoulder where blood was flowing out. Lupin stepped out of the shadows, a smoking gun in his grip and, as Shinichi looked around, he saw the rest of his family appear too. Tears of relief flowed down his cheeks as he ran to Papa, who sheltered him inside his strong embrace. “You really shouldn’t have done that, bastard,” Lupin said with a glare as he, Auntie Fujiko, and Uncle Goemon closed in around him. “Now you’ve upset the little one and we can’t have that, can we?”

            Kidnapper-san backed away from them, an impassive look on his face. “He isn’t even your child. He’s not yours to keep!” Shinichi felt his ropes tug before falling free of his body.

            “Ah, but he is!” Lupin sneered, leveling his gun to the man’s head. “He called for us. He wants us. And we will keep him as long as he wants to be here.”

            “It’s just Stockholm Syndrome. With the right tactics, you could make him—”

            “If you say another goddamn word, I’ll put a bullet through your pretty head,” Lupin finally threatened. The man stayed quiet. “You okay now, kid?”

            Shinichi nodded into Papa’s shoulder and he shouted, “He just seems shaken. What are you going with him?”

            “Take Shinichi away for now. I don’t want him to see this—”

            “ ** _LUPIN!!_** ”

            Everyone suddenly flinched at the sudden yell. Outside the alley was a man in a tan trench coat, surrounded by police officers. Shinichi clung tighter to Papa, but it seemed as though the men hadn’t noticed them yet, despite their frantic searching. That didn’t stop the coat man from yelling though. “LUPIN! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE! COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!”

            “Geeze, Pops, can’t you leave me alone for one second?” Shinichi heard Lupin complain. He turned around in Papa’s arms to ask what he was talking about, but froze when he saw something far worse than a bunch of police looking for them.

            Kidnapper-san was gone.


	9. Zenigata

            Jigen mentally cursed as he and the other’s hid in the shadows, away from Zenigata’s prying eyes. Shinichi tightened his arms around his neck. How the hell did he find them!? Swallowing, Jigen whispered to Shinichi, “I need both of my hands for a bit, boy-o. Mind if I put you down?” Shinichi nodded once, giving him a small smile, so Jigen replaced his child with his gun.

            “LUPIN!!” Zenigata continued to yell. “I know you’re here! The tracking device on your clothes tells me so!” Lupin grimaced and frantically pawed at his clothes, looking for the tracker. “We have the area surrounded, Lupin! You might as well give up now!”

            “What’s the plan, Lupin?” Jigen whispered, fingers tightening around his gun.

            “I’m thinking, I’m thinking— _Shinichi_!”

            Jigen was about to snap that _no_ , they weren’t using his son as bait for the old man, when he realized that Shinichi was no longer by his side. The boy had snuck out of the alley, hiding behind a car even though the police were turned away. Then Shinichi walked into the center of the street… and started wailing.

            He jerked back into the shadows as Interpol turned at the sound. He could only watch as Zenigata approached Shinichi, Lupin’s hand on his shoulder the only thing keeping him still. “Uh…” The old man seemed nervous and confused. He reached down to lightly touch Shinichi’s head. “Little boy… what are you doing here.”

            Shinichi sniffled and shifted just enough so that Zenigata wasn’t facing the alley they were hiding in. Jigen almost took aim at the old man, but Lupin whispered in his ear, “The kid’s giving us the time to make a plan! Let him work.”

            Jigen glanced away for a second to eye the car the kidnapper left. “Use the van. Do we have any smoke bombs?”

            “Yeah.”

            Shinichi’s wavering voice rang out from the street. “A-A bad man tried to kidnap me!” Shinichi cried. Crocodile tears flowed down the manipulative brat’s cheeks. “H-He said he as going to… to _sell_ me! I-I want my Daddy…”

            “Jigen, we’re ready.”

            “Alright. You get him and I’ll drive.” Lupin raised an eyebrow, so Jigen elaborated. “You did say you wanted to see the look on Pops face when he found out that you spawned.”

            Lupin cracked a grin and threw the smoke grenade into the middle of the group of Interpol officers surrounding Shinichi. When the smoke cleared, Lupin was clear across the street, Shinichi safely within his arms. Zenigata opened his mouth—most likely for another yell—but Shinichi didn’t give him the time to speak. “Daddy!”

            Lupin had been right; that face was worth its weight in gold. Eyes bulging out of his skull, Zenigata struggled to speak. “What—How—!”

            “Hey Pops!” Lupin called out cheerfully, waving. “I see you’ve met Junior! Thanks for trying to help, but I think I’ll take it from here!”

            Zenigata, having regained his voice, shouted at his men, “What are you waiting for! Go capture them!”

            “Oops, that’s my cue to leave,” Lupin said as he backed away from the officers closing in. “Say goodbye to Gramps, Arsene!”

            “Bye-bye, grandpa!”

            Now. Jigen cranked the car and threw it into drive. The van, while not made for high speeds, shot towards the center of the Interpol officers. They dove out of the way, leaving Jigen free to pull up beside the two. Seconds later, the van bolted through the police barriers, its 5 passengers safe with Zenigata screaming behind them.

            Lupin smirked at him. “Well, that was an exciting little adventure!”

            “Yeah,” Jigen snorted. “Sure it was. Shall I mark that down in between the giant laser incident and when the world’s tallest skyscraper collapsed on top of us?” Something nudged his side and Jigen glanced down to see Shinichi cuddling up against him. “Hey kid. You alright?”

            “Mm-hmm.” Shinichi nodded sleepily. “Thank you, Papa.”

            Chuckling, Jigen ruffled Shinichi’s hair. “No problem boy-o.”

            “Hey, Shin-chan! Doesn’t Daddy deserve a cuddle too?”

            “No.”


	10. Epilogue

            The man trudged down the road, heading towards the large, Western-style house that lights lit up the night. His hand was bandaged tightly, but its clean look was marred by a few red speckles leaking through. He grimaced. The bite would probably scar if he didn’t get it treated soon, but… maybe he deserved it—a visible sign of his failure.

            He picked the house’s gate with ease and slipped inside, only to hesitate in ringing the doorbell. He’d messed up so bad. She’d never forgive him for this, but that was alright; he couldn’t forgive himself either. He deserved her hate, her anger, her tears…

            What kind of thief was he if he couldn’t even steal back is own godson!?

            Steeling himself, the man rang the doorbell. Yukiko yanked it open seconds later—had she been waiting by the door?—an excited and relieved expression on her face. That faded when she saw him and just him on her porch. Yusaku walked up behind her, seemingly understand what had happened, and placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Toichi-sensei…” she glanced around, like she was expecting her son to be hiding. “Where’s…”

            “I’m so sorry, Yukiko.”

            Tears flooded her eyes and one of the strongest women Toichi had ever met broke down in tears.


End file.
